9 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Perhaps higher gas prices and longer ques, and perhaps a major gas shortage in the near future? There really are very few aspects of life that Don the Destroyer will not affect eventually, it seems like he's hellbent on lowering the quality of life for everyone on the planet.

Higher gas prices and longer queues are the least of the problems that could result from this totally unprovoked and unnecessary war. There is a great risk of mass famine, as Qatar's natural gas is used in making a lot of the world's fertilizer, which is used in producing much of the world's food:

https://www.naturalnews.com/2026-03-19-10-year-famine-about-to-be-unleashed.html

5 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

As opposed to your embrace of the Iranian regime that publicly lynches young adults from cranes in public squares, that sodomizes teenage boys and girls and that violently gang rapes women who dare to object to the doctrine of the Revolutionary Guards. You are ok with the widescale corruption that saw a transfer of wealth and assets from the citizens to the family members of the rules of iran and to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

Just as I suspected: You're only interested in the welfare of poor Iranians rather than wanting to see all of Israel's neighbors destroyed for the creation of Greater Israel.

6 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

As opposed to your embrace of the Iranian regime that publicly lynches young adults from cranes in public squares, that sodomizes teenage boys and girls and that violently gang rapes women who dare to object to the doctrine of the Revolutionary Guards. You are ok with the widescale corruption that saw a transfer of wealth and assets from the citizens to the family members of the rules of iran and to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

So far the war you support did not change anything. Nothing.

With increased oil exports Iran will even be stronger than before. Especially as Russia and China heavily arm Iran. So they win as well with this war.

What a great achievement...

It's our war, but your problem! 😀

20 hours ago, Yagoda said:

The hysterical screeches of those whose side is losing

I was under the impression the hysterical screeching emanated from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

3 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

I was under the impression the hysterical screeching emanated from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Well hes on TV every day taking questions, havent heard him screech at all.

Refreshing to have a C in C who talks to the People

6 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

As opposed to your embrace of the Iranian regime that publicly lynches young adults from cranes in public squares, that sodomizes teenage boys and girls and that violently gang rapes women who dare to object to the doctrine of the Revolutionary Guards. You are ok with the widescale corruption that saw a transfer of wealth and assets from the citizens to the family members of the rules of iran and to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

Trump has just pardoned Trevor Milton who defrauded investors of $700 odd million. Milton has started up a new scam, an EV aeroplane.

I suggest the corruption in the US needs fixing before worrying about a Middle East nation.

2 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Trump has just pardoned Trevor Milton who defrauded investors of $700 odd million. Milton has started up a new scam, an EV aeroplane.

I suggest the corruption in the US needs fixing before worrying about a Middle East nation.

Nah, its more fun to use our shiny military equipment to pay back a bunch of murderous loons. That the new talking point btw?

7 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

Well hes on TV every day taking questions, havent heard him screech at all.

Refreshing to have a C in C who talks to the People

Yes, and calling any reporter who doesn't throw him a Dorothy Dixer obnoxious for asking a hard question.

He's not talking to the people, he is talking to a carefully curated group of reporters.

Just now, Lacessit said:

Yes, and calling any reporter who doesn't throw him a Dorothy Dixer obnoxious for asking a hard question.

He's not talking to the people, he is talking to a carefully curated group of reporters.

Least he isnt hiding. Gives back as good as he gets, especially when confronted with the absolute stupidity of the Press.

The People are listening.

10 hours ago, BangkokHank said:

Just as I suspected: You're only interested in the welfare of poor Iranians rather than wanting to see all of Israel's neighbors destroyed for the creation of Greater Israel.

Greater Israel? Is that some kind of code language for Zionist mumbo jumbo? There is nothing great about Israel at this point in history, absolutely nothing.

9 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Trump has just pardoned Trevor Milton who defrauded investors of $700 odd million. Milton has started up a new scam, an EV aeroplane.

I suggest the corruption in the US needs fixing before worrying about a Middle East nation.

Trump has set a new standards for pardoning men who are on his level when it comes to corruption, scams, dishonesty and malevolence. He relates to them.

And then of course there's that $50 million under the table fee.

9 hours ago, Yagoda said:

Least he isnt hiding. Gives back as good as he gets, especially when confronted with the absolute stupidity of the Press.

The People are listening.

I suspect the people are listening to the sound of their wallets being emptied.

As for absolute stupidity, that mantle clearly belongs to his followers.

On 3/21/2026 at 12:12 AM, spidermike007 said:

It's always refreshing when an expert speaks truth to toxic and corrosive power. And it's especially inspiring when that truth is being spoken in the face of countless bald-faced lies about US progress with this very dumb and reckless war.

French General Michel Yakovleff just compared joining Trump's Iran war to "buying cheap tickets for the Titanic" after it already hit the iceberg. And then it got even worse for Trump.

Yakovleff is no random talking head. He's a three-star general, former commander of the legendary French Foreign Legion, and held senior positions within NATO itself. He is one of the most respected military voices in France and regularly weighs in on matters of international security.

So when he was asked about Trump's desperate pleas for Europe to join his Iran catastrophe, his answer carried serious weight.

He didn't mince words. He laid out five distinct reasons why every European nation should flatly refuse. And each one is more damaging than the last.

First, Trump doesn't understand how NATO actually works. You don't get to launch your own unilateral bombing campaign and then invite allies to run a separate operation underneath you. That's not how alliances function.

If Trump wants NATO involved, NATO takes command. One operation, one flag, one chain of command. "I don't think he understood that," Yakovleff said. That alone is a devastating indictment of a man who claims to be the greatest dealmaker on earth

.

Second, nobody knows what the actual strategic goals are. Beyond forcing open the Strait of Hormuz, what is the endgame? Regime change? Containment? A negotiated settlement? Trump hasn't said. He apparently can't say, because he doesn't know himself.

Third, and this one is particularly brutal, you can't coordinate a multinational military campaign through tweets that change every two minutes. If allied nations are going to put their soldiers in harm's way, they need explicit, written objectives from the United States. As Yakovleff put it, "It's going to be necessary for Trump himself to know what he wants." The quiet contempt in that sentence could strip paint off a wall.

Fourth, there is the fundamental issue of trust. Trump has abandoned allies before and everyone knows he would do it again without hesitation the moment it became politically useful. The Kurds know it. The Afghans know it. Europe knows it. "He would let us down whenever it suited him," the general said. Why would any nation put troops on the line for a leader with that track record?

And fifth, the knockout punch. Yakovleff cited a principle he said he learned at the U.S. Army War College: "You don't reinforce failure. You move on. You find something else." A decorated French general is using American military doctrine, taught in American war colleges, to explain to the world why following this American president into battle would be strategic malpractice.

The global response has been just as damning. Japan said no. Australia said no. The United Kingdom said no. The European Union said no. Meanwhile, Iranian missiles and drones have made the Strait of Hormuz so dangerous that insurance companies won't cover oil tankers passing through it.

Twenty percent of the world's petroleum normally flows through that strait. Oil prices are skyrocketing and consumers everywhere are feeling it.

Trump started this. He escalated it. He isolated America from its allies in the process.

https://www.msn.com/en-in/money/topstories/we-re-not-going-to-go-into-something-where-french-general-slams-trump-s-pitch-for-naval-alliance-to-police-hormuz/ar-AA1YOt5m?apiversion=v2&domshim=1&noservercache=1&noservertelemetry=1&batchservertelemetry=1&renderwebcomponents=1&wcseo=1

On 3/21/2026 at 12:12 AM, spidermike007 said:

why every European nation should flatly refuse.

Not really :

https://time.com/article/2026/03/19/europe-uk-japan-strait-of-hormuz-oil-gas-prices-iran-war/

Europe and Japan Ready to Join Efforts to Secure Strait of Hormuz as Energy Prices Surge Amid Iran War

Their energy is threatened so not much choice.

10 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Trump has just pardoned Trevor Milton who defrauded investors of $700 odd million. Milton has started up a new scam, an EV aeroplane.

I suggest the corruption in the US needs fixing before worrying about a Middle East nation.

Your argument exposes your hypocrisy and double standard. Have Trump and Milton seized the. assets of dissenters for their own personal profit? Which members of Congress have been arrested, tortured, imprisoned or killed? Please provide examples of the US government running torture centers where children are. violently raped in fron of their families? You live yto pint your finger at people, to admonish them, but when you beloved causes are held to the most basic of standards, you find an excuse to explain away why diabolical evil people should be allowed to loot and extort other nations.

11 hours ago, zappalot said:

So far the war you support did not change anything. Nothing.

With increased oil exports Iran will even be stronger than before. Especially as Russia and China heavily arm Iran. So they win as well with this war.

What a great achievement...

Ok, when will Iran have increased oil exports?

Russia and China are not heavily arming Iran. Please provide an example of recent sales of heavy arms?

Because you do not see what has happened and are relying on information sources opposed to the intervention, you have made an assumption. Have you spoken to any Iranians? The diaspora community still has links to the inside of the nation. I know that one of my colleagues, as much as she is distressed by the conflict takes comfort in the knowledge that the people who killed her brother are most likely neutralized and will not be able to kill again.

22 minutes ago, FlorC said:

4 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

Your argument exposes your hypocrisy and double standard. Have Trump and Milton seized the. assets of dissenters for their own personal profit? Which members of Congress have been arrested, tortured, imprisoned or killed? Please provide examples of the US government running torture centers where children are. violently raped in fron of their families? You live yto pint your finger at people, to admonish them, but when you beloved causes are held to the most basic of standards, you find an excuse to explain away why diabolical evil people should be allowed to loot and extort other nations.

Your post exposes your own hypocrisy. Trump and Milton have ruined the lives of thousands of investors and contractors, the White House has corruptly pardoned at last count over 300 individuals - for contributions, of course.

Do you really think Iran would have a sharia law government now, if the US had not been meddling in the Middle East for decades?

Don't like my opinions? Tough. One of the luxuries of age is I don't have to give a FF about any others, especially not yours.

12 hours ago, BangkokHank said:

Just as I suspected: You're only interested in the welfare of poor Iranians rather than wanting to see all of Israel's neighbors destroyed for the creation of Greater Israel.

Do you have any Iranian friends or colleagues?

Perhaps if you did, you would understand some of the issues. It is unlikely that any of the Iranian diaspora want a conflict or the destruction that it brings. However, if your family member was tortured or brutalized by the regime or if you had seen family assets stolen and given to a member of the IRGC, then you might have a better grasp of the sentiments.

The Shiite Iranians have been extorting and threatening the Gulf Arabs for decades. They have also sponsored terrorists and insurgents who have attacked oil and gas facilities and attempted to overthrow the Sunni Arab governments.

The Gulf Arabs are done with israel and have moved on, investing in their nations. They couldn't care about Israel or Palestinians or the views of condescending obnoxious westerners. The Shiites are intent on dominating the region, interfering in Iraq, and promoting civil wars in Yemen and Syria as they tried to install allied regimes. That's who you are supporting.

40 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Your post exposes your own hypocrisy. Trump and Milton have ruined the lives of thousands of investors and contractors, the White House has corruptly pardoned at last count over 300 individuals - for contributions, of course.

Do you really think Iran would have a sharia law government now, if the US had not been meddling in the Middle East for decades?

Don't like my opinions? Tough. One of the luxuries of age is I don't have to give a FF about any others, especially not yours.

What does the US government extending pardons have to do with the brutality of the Iranian regime? The pardons are a characteristic of all federal and state administrations in the USA and are not unusual, nor abusive of others. Are you really this ignorant of what a pardon is? It does not vacate a judicial finding. All it does is to restore certain legal rights such as the right to vote. It boggles the mind that you would equate a pardon with the lynching of children in public.

If people do not agree with the Trump administration they can pursue the matters in the courts. Many people do, and they can win their cases. If Iranians try to do similar they are tortured or killed. It again amazes me that you are unable to differentiate between the two realities.

You then justify your pushiness by proclaiming that because you are elderly, that you don't care what others think. Well, if you have soiled yourself and stink up a place, it becomes a public nuisance. Perhaps you should learn from younger people and try to be more considerate of others.

42 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

Do you have any Iranian friends or colleagues?

Perhaps if you did, you would understand some of the issues. It is unlikely that any of the Iranian diaspora want a conflict or the destruction that it brings. However, if your family member was tortured or brutalized by the regime or if you had seen family assets stolen and given to a member of the IRGC, then you might have a better grasp of the sentiments.

The Shiite Iranians have been extorting and threatening the Gulf Arabs for decades. They have also sponsored terrorists and insurgents who have attacked oil and gas facilities and attempted to overthrow the Sunni Arab governments.

The Gulf Arabs are done with israel and have moved on, investing in their nations. They couldn't care about Israel or Palestinians or the views of condescending obnoxious westerners. The Shiites are intent on dominating the region, interfering in Iraq, and promoting civil wars in Yemen and Syria as they tried to install allied regimes. That's who you are supporting.

I really don't need a lecture on the Iranian regime, I despise them just as much as you do, the issue is not whether or not they needed to be gotten rid of, the issue was how to go about doing it and what the timing of such an operation should be. The issue is also whether or not we allow Israel to dictate terms to us, which was very obviously did. Trump is Netanyahu's bitch, no question about that.

A war of choice at a time when things are so precarious with the economy was not smart on any level, and nobody knows the extent of the destruction that we're going to witness throughout the world's economies.

And what is the end game, when regime change has never happened without years of conflict with soldiers on the ground, what is the end game here?

4 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

What does the US government extending pardons have to do with the brutality of the Iranian regime? The pardons are a characteristic of all federal and state administrations in the USA and are not unusual, nor abusive of others. Are you really this ignorant of what a pardon is? It does not vacate a judicial finding. All it does is to restore certain legal rights such as the right to vote. It boggles the mind that you would equate a pardon with the lynching of children in public.

If people do not agree with the Trump administration they can pursue the matters in the courts. Many people do, and they can win their cases. If Iranians try to do similar they are tortured or killed. It again amazes me that you are unable to differentiate between the two realities.

You then justify your pushiness by proclaiming that because you are elderly, that you don't care what others think. Well, if you have soiled yourself and stink up a place, it becomes a public nuisance. Perhaps you should learn from younger people and try to be more considerate of others.

Respect me, I respect you back. You have done nothing to earn it from me. Quite the contrary.

My perspective is as an Australian. We don't permit convicted felons to lead our country. We have sensible gun laws, and a working health system. Which, by the way, Trump is trying to dismantle at the behest of Big Pharma. The insane profits they make in the US are apparently not enough, they need more.

Public opinion in Australia has swung to the point America is an irresponsible and feckless ally. We are spending $370 billion on second-hand nuclear submarines which we may not get for a decade, and may be obsolete anyway.

This is part of a push to corral China. The facts are these. Australia has made itself a nuclear target with US bases at Pine Gap, North West Cape, and Darwin. There's no guarantee America would defend us if attacked.

The USA has a positive trade balance with Australia. It has a 10% tariff generally, 50% on copper, steel and aluminium, and 500% on pharmaceuticals. It sells Australia $50 billion of goods and services.

OTOH, we sell $200 billion in goods every year to China, with next to no tariffs applied. Who is a better trading partner?

If you don't understand the contempt I feel for you and your posts, I haven't made a strong enough impression. You've earned it.

Another legal rejection of Trump's toxic, corrupt and highly partial policies, and ability to limit press freedom and establish major censorship in America. Hopefully his continued erosion of democracy will stop soon.

US District Judge Paul Friedman in Washington, DC, ruled that the Pentagon policy illegally restricts the press credentials of reporters who walked out of the building rather than agree to the new rules.

The Times sued the Pentagon and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in December, claiming the credentialing policy violates the journalists’ constitutional rights to free speech and due process.

The current Pentagon press corps is comprised mostly of conservative outlets that agreed to the policy. Reporters from outlets that refused to consent to the new rules, including those from The Associated Press, have continued reporting on the military.

Friedman, said the policy “fails to provide fair notice of what routine, lawful journalistic practices will result in the denial, suspension, or revocation” of Pentagon press credentials. He ruled that the Pentagon policy ultimately violates the First and Fifth Amendment rights to free speech and due process.

“Those who drafted the First Amendment believed that the nation’s security requires a free press and an informed people and that such security is endangered by governmental suppression of political speech. That principle has preserved the nation’s security for almost 250 years. It must not be abandoned now,” the judge wrote.

Americans deserve visibility into how their government is being run, and the actions the military is taking in their name and with their tax dollars,” Stadtlander said in a statement. “Today’s ruling reaffirms the right of The Times and other independent media to continue to ask questions on the public’s behalf.

Theodore Boutrous, a lawyer who represented the Times at a hearing earlier this month, said in a statement that the court ruling is “a powerful rejection of the Pentagon’s effort to impede freedom of the press and the reporting of vital information to the American people during a time of war”.

https://share.google/uOp8piGV4ReSUnP77

24 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Respect me, I respect you back. You have done nothing to earn it from me. Quite the contrary.

My perspective is as an Australian. We don't permit convicted felons to lead our country. We have sensible gun laws, and a working health system. Which, by the way, Trump is trying to dismantle at the behest of Big Pharma. The insane profits they make in the US are apparently not enough, they need more.

Public opinion in Australia has swung to the point America is an irresponsible and feckless ally. We are spending $370 billion on second-hand nuclear submarines which we may not get for a decade, and may be obsolete anyway.

This is part of a push to corral China. The facts are these. Australia has made itself a nuclear target with US bases at Pine Gap, North West Cape, and Darwin. There's no guarantee America would defend us if attacked.

The USA has a positive trade balance with Australia. It has a 10% tariff generally, 50% on copper, steel and aluminium, and 500% on pharmaceuticals. It sells Australia $50 billion of goods and services.

OTOH, we sell $200 billion in goods every year to China, with next to no tariffs applied. Who is a better trading partner?

If you don't understand the contempt I feel for you and your posts, I haven't made a strong enough impression. You've earned it.

You have yet to offer a convincing reason for your support of the despotic Iranian regime other than your dislike of the USA. Iran is a regime with a lengthy history as a sponsor of terrorism around the world, and kept Assad in power for 20 years, resulting in 750,000 dead and 14 million refugees.

Australia's issues with China are not because of the USA. They are the result of Australia's own foreign policy and Chinese interference. Your opinion on US based pharma may be valid, but it has no relevance to the conflict in Iran. It is an internal matter for the Americans to decide: It is as germane to the subject as that of a Fijian's on Sydney's public transit woes.

The purchase of submarines is for the benefit of Australia and offers an appropriate means of protecting Australian sovereignty. Your position suggests that China won't be a problem if one just agrees to their demands/requests. The people of Hong Kong would counsel otherwise. There is a cost to protecting one's sovereignty and I suppose you are one of those who believe it can be done by riding the coat tails of others. Ask the Canadians how that works. Their oceans are looted by the Russians, Chinese and others. Toxic waste is dumped into their oceans and soon the Chinese will be traversing their northern passage, all because Canada does not have the means of protecting its own territory. They don't even have the ability to protect their own airspace.

4 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

You have yet to offer a convincing reason for your support of the despotic Iranian regime other than your dislike of the USA. Iran is a regime with a lengthy history as a sponsor of terrorism around the world, and kept Assad in power for 20 years, resulting in 750,000 dead and 14 million refugees.

Australia's issues with China are not because of the USA. They are the result of Australia's own foreign policy and Chinese interference. Your opinion on US based pharma may be valid, but it has no relevance to the conflict in Iran. It is an internal matter for the Americans to decide: It is as germane to the subject as that of a Fijian's on Sydney's public transit woes.

The purchase of submarines is for the benefit of Australia and offers an appropriate means of protecting Australian sovereignty. Your position suggests that China won't be a problem if one just agrees to their demands/requests. The people of Hong Kong would counsel otherwise. There is a cost to protecting one's sovereignty and I suppose you are one of those who believe it can be done by riding the coat tails of others. Ask the Canadians how that works. Their oceans are looted by the Russians, Chinese and others. Toxic waste is dumped into their oceans and soon the Chinese will be traversing their northern passage, all because Canada does not have the means of protecting its own territory.

Like them or not, you do not get to arbitrarily attack foreign countries. Bibi said so is not Carte Blanc, just as covering up child rape is also not an excuse.

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

I really don't need a lecture on the Iranian regime, I despise them just as much as you do, the issue is not whether or not they needed to be gotten rid of, the issue was how to go about doing it and what the timing of such an operation should be. The issue is also whether or not we allow Israel to dictate terms to us, which was very obviously did. Trump is Netanyahu's bitch, no question about that.

A war of choice at a time when things are so precarious with the economy was not smart on any level, and nobody knows the extent of the destruction that we're going to witness throughout the world's economies.

And what is the end game, when regime change has never happened without years of conflict with soldiers on the ground, what is the end game here?

Israel has its own reasons for addressing the Iran regime, chief amongst which is the Iranian pledge to wipe out Israel.

Iran has previously made a similar pledge in respect to the UK and the USA and has acted on that pledge multiple times. How many times does it need to be explained that iran has sought to overthrow the governments of the Gulf Arab states? Iran is the reason why Assad remained in power and why the Houthis run wild in Yemen. Iran is a threat to everyone in the region.

The Gulf Arab states have been threatened and extorted by Iran. It was Iran that attacked their oil facilities in previous years, not Israel. it is Iran that has previously threatened to block the strait of Hormuz unless the Gulf Arabs paid tribute. It is Iran which has assaulted and murdered Iranian dissidents in other countries.

The recent firing of missiles against the UK airbase in the Indian ocean has put to rest the Iranian statement that it did not possess long range missile capability. It just demonstrated that it did. Negotiations went on for a decades with Iran. During that time it took its Uranium from 5% enrichment up to nuclear weapon capable 60%+ enrichment. Iran was helping Assad drop barrel bombs of chemical gas on Syrians during that time, and all the time the world did nothing. Israel was told, don't worry, a negotiation will address the issue. It did not. Meanwhile, Iran was slaughtering Kurds in conjunction with the Turks, and the world did nothing. The europeans were more concerned about access to cheap oil and gas. The Israelis know that they can only count on themselves for their own defense because the world won't do anything to stop Iran.

And during this time, Saudi Arabia made clear that unless Iran was stopped, it too would acquire nuclear weapons. There has been a race to bulk up in the Gulf, not because the Sunni Arabs are worried about Israel. It is Shiite Iran that is their worry. And now Israel is doing their dirty work, content to take the blame because they all have the same concern, Iran.

14 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

You have yet to offer a convincing reason for your support of the despotic Iranian regime other than your dislike of the USA. Iran is a regime with a lengthy history as a sponsor of terrorism around the world, and kept Assad in power for 20 years, resulting in 750,000 dead and 14 million refugees.

Australia's issues with China are not because of the USA. They are the result of Australia's own foreign policy and Chinese interference. Your opinion on US based pharma may be valid, but it has no relevance to the conflict in Iran. It is an internal matter for the Americans to decide: It is as germane to the subject as that of a Fijian's on Sydney's public transit woes.

The purchase of submarines is for the benefit of Australia and offers an appropriate means of protecting Australian sovereignty. Your position suggests that China won't be a problem if one just agrees to their demands/requests. The people of Hong Kong would counsel otherwise. There is a cost to protecting one's sovereignty and I suppose you are one of those who believe it can be done by riding the coat tails of others. Ask the Canadians how that works. Their oceans are looted by the Russians, Chinese and others. Toxic waste is dumped into their oceans and soon the Chinese will be traversing their northern passage, all because Canada does not have the means of protecting its own territory. They don't even have the ability to protect their own airspace.

Sadly some only have Trump and his strange behaviors in mind, ignoring the facts about Iran's regime over the past few decades. If they would step back and realize no matter what Trump has done to get this conflict started, the truth has been there all along what Iran's leaders have done.

He's trying to get a lot of problems straightened out in a short time, and of course he's going to make mistakes. Rushing into anything has that happen.

Iran needed to be stopped, allowing it's citizens a chance to step in and be able to make changes. That there are a lot of Iranians still wanting this insanity isn't helping the others, ignoring the fact of them killing their own people because they wanted changes.

They fear when anyone steps up, much like a bully fears when anyone faces them down, and they have weapons to use against their people, so stopped those who spoke before more were enlisted, not realizing you can't do this forever. People don't like being controlled, in any relationship, unless that's all they've known .When they see other countries able to have more freedom, that's what they want too.

The same will happen in North Korea and other like countries. If you dislike the US because of trump, that's pretty biased thinking. I know he's a weirdo, and didn't vote for him, but in time some of what he's doing might end up positive. Other countries see the power the US has, and know it's better to be an ally, as trade with the US means a lot of money for their country. Iran is at fault and has been a long time, and you can't let that type of thinking get away with things forever.

19 minutes ago, cjinchiangrai said:

Like them or not, you do not get to arbitrarily attack foreign countries. Bibi said so is not Carte Blanc, just as covering up child rape is also not an excuse.

Iran is the country that has been attacking others or are you going to pretend that iran had no involvement in Syria, Lebanon or Yemen? Are you going to deny that Iran has engaged in active sabotage against the Gulf Arab nations, including the financing of terrorist groups?

1 hour ago, Patong2021 said:

Iran is the country that has been attacking others or are you going to pretend that iran had no involvement in Syria, Lebanon or Yemen? Are you going to deny that Iran has engaged in active sabotage against the Gulf Arab nations, including the financing of terrorist groups?

If that is the reason for Trumps war then say so, but it isn't. It is just Trump and Bibi trying to distract from troubles at home.

1 hour ago, Patong2021 said:

You have yet to offer a convincing reason for your support of the despotic Iranian regime other than your dislike of the USA. Iran is a regime with a lengthy history as a sponsor of terrorism around the world, and kept Assad in power for 20 years, resulting in 750,000 dead and 14 million refugees.

Australia's issues with China are not because of the USA. They are the result of Australia's own foreign policy and Chinese interference. Your opinion on US based pharma may be valid, but it has no relevance to the conflict in Iran. It is an internal matter for the Americans to decide: It is as germane to the subject as that of a Fijian's on Sydney's public transit woes.

The purchase of submarines is for the benefit of Australia and offers an appropriate means of protecting Australian sovereignty. Your position suggests that China won't be a problem if one just agrees to their demands/requests. The people of Hong Kong would counsel otherwise. There is a cost to protecting one's sovereignty and I suppose you are one of those who believe it can be done by riding the coat tails of others. Ask the Canadians how that works. Their oceans are looted by the Russians, Chinese and others. Toxic waste is dumped into their oceans and soon the Chinese will be traversing their northern passage, all because Canada does not have the means of protecting its own territory. They don't even have the ability to protect their own airspace.

Please quote a post I have made which supports Iran or its government.

1 hour ago, Patong2021 said:

Israel has its own reasons for addressing the Iran regime, chief amongst which is the Iranian pledge to wipe out Israel.

Iran has previously made a similar pledge in respect to the UK and the USA and has acted on that pledge multiple times. How many times does it need to be explained that iran has sought to overthrow the governments of the Gulf Arab states? Iran is the reason why Assad remained in power and why the Houthis run wild in Yemen. Iran is a threat to everyone in the region.

The Gulf Arab states have been threatened and extorted by Iran. It was Iran that attacked their oil facilities in previous years, not Israel. it is Iran that has previously threatened to block the strait of Hormuz unless the Gulf Arabs paid tribute. It is Iran which has assaulted and murdered Iranian dissidents in other countries.

The recent firing of missiles against the UK airbase in the Indian ocean has put to rest the Iranian statement that it did not possess long range missile capability. It just demonstrated that it did. Negotiations went on for a decades with Iran. During that time it took its Uranium from 5% enrichment up to nuclear weapon capable 60%+ enrichment. Iran was helping Assad drop barrel bombs of chemical gas on Syrians during that time, and all the time the world did nothing. Israel was told, don't worry, a negotiation will address the issue. It did not. Meanwhile, Iran was slaughtering Kurds in conjunction with the Turks, and the world did nothing. The europeans were more concerned about access to cheap oil and gas. The Israelis know that they can only count on themselves for their own defense because the world won't do anything to stop Iran.

And during this time, Saudi Arabia made clear that unless Iran was stopped, it too would acquire nuclear weapons. There has been a race to bulk up in the Gulf, not because the Sunni Arabs are worried about Israel. It is Shiite Iran that is their worry. And now Israel is doing their dirty work, content to take the blame because they all have the same concern, Iran.

Many of those details are irrefutable and difficult to argue with and I'm not. I despise the regime as much as you do.

My questions are this:

Was this the right time to do it? Does the world not have enough problems as it is right now?

Did Israel and the US prepare sufficiently?

How are Trump's sons able to get away with investing in a company that manufactures drones that will supply the US military, at a time when we are going to war with Iran? How is that not considered massive corruption and a totally ridiculous conflict of interest? And why is that kind of behavior being normalized?

Lastly, what is the end game and do they have a plan for that? I know that meme of regime change sounds cool, but any student of history knows that's a very complicated thing to accomplish.